Pakistan urges US to build nuclear parks

Islamabad, Mar 14: Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said his country has proposed to the United States to build ''nuclear parks'' in Pakistan where American entrepreneurs can establish nuclear power plants on the lines of Independent Power Projects (IPPs).

''This will resolve the problem of safeguards on the one hand, while enabling Pakistan to get cheaper power for its rapidly growing power needs on the other,'' he was quoted as saying by Pakistani daily ''The News'' today.

However, US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, who is presently in Pakistan, ruled out any prospects of providing India-style civil nuclear technology to Pakistan or discussing the gas pipeline project.

''I am really here for the process of listening and understanding what the energy needs of Pakistan are and what the opportunities are but not to make a decision or to arrive at firm conclusions,'' he said, at a separate press conference in the US embassy.

Regarding Pakistan's desire for acquiring at least 1,000 megawatt nuclear power plant from the US, he said that they had developed a very wide ranging, effective set of dialogue with Pakistan ''but it does not include nuclear energy.'' ''There were expressions made about their (Pakistani) desire to talk about nuclear energy but this is not the topic I am prepared to deal with,'' he said.

Aziz said Pakistan and the United States had agreed to set up a joint working group to discuss the former's energy requirements.

''A team of experts from Pakistan will be visiting the US with a month's time to prticipate in the working group's inaugural meeting,'' he said.

''Our goal is to explore more energy through various modes and want US cooperation to increase energy production,'' he said, adding Pakistan is a growing economy and intends to expand its energy resources to meet its future requirements, he added.

Aziz also said that his country is working on a 25-year plan to explore energy resources, including hydel, thermal, coal, nuclear, gas, LNG and renewable energy to meet its requirements, besides importing gas and electricity from Iran, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

Aziz said Pakistan has also offered some Central Asian states to use it as an ''energy corridor'' and transit oil and electricity.

He said the transit will also create linkages and improve interdependency besides giving a boost to the country's economy.

UNI

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